12-07-2025
Three words sum up the Welsh version of the viral M&S strawberry and creme sandwich
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Over the past few weeks, my social media feeds have been filled with strawberries and cream, whether that's the famous Wimbledon treat or the viral Marks & Spencer sweet sandwich, which seems to have everyone talking.
The Marks & Spencer Red Diamond Strawberry & Creme sweetened sandwich has taken the internet by storm. The supermarket giant's unusual desert sarnie is its take on a Japanese classic. The furutsu sando is dessert made up of fresh whipped cream and fruit sandwiched between Japanese milk bread.
While everybody raves about the supermarket version, an independent street food vendor at Cardiff's indoor market has been selling the sweet treat long before M&S. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
Tokyo Nights has been serving Japanese inspired street food in Cardiff Market since 2022. One item on their menu is the strawberry and cream sando, also inspired by the Japanese furutsu sando.
To see which had the better fresh dessert between the two, I picked up both and taste tested them myself.
Initially comparing the two I was set back by the stark difference in appearance. The Tokyo Nights version looks much more appetising.
(Image: Taite Johnson)
It was easy to see which of the two had been mass produced and which had been made fresh that morning with the cream bursting out of the bread at Tokyo Nights and the M&S sando looking uniformly structured.
Let's start with the M&S Strawberry & Creme sweetened bread sandwich coming in at £2.80.
Unlike the other sandwiches in the fridge, this one only came with half of the sandwich leaving me slightly disappointed especially at almost £3.
(Image: Taite Johnson)
The sweetened bread had a green tint to it and the cream was stiff but the red strawberries helped make it look more desirable.
Tucking in the first thing I noticed was the the overpowering thickness of the bread that was claggy, tasting processed.
I was not expecting the strawberries to taste so fresh, being cut and packaged but to my surprise they were sweet.
Unlike the strawberries, the cream whilst soft was not fresh, tasting almost stale.
(Image: Taite Johnson)
Moving on to Tokyo Nights at £3.50 where it was a completely different story.
Served only on a Friday and a Saturday, the strawberry and cream sando from Tokyo Nights is served as a full sandwich cut in half and wrapped in cling film.
Even though the cling film meant that it was easily squashed, I was happy to see two halves which left me feeling full after.
Just holding the dessert I could feel the softness of the sweetened bread and watched the overflowing filling burst out of the sides of the sando.
Whilst the strawberries were firm and juicy, there were not enough of them within the sandwich to get a strong taste of strawberry flavour.
The star of the show for the fruit sando from the independent was the light and fluffy cream that felt as if it had been prepared that morning.
To me £3.50 for a a substantial dessert is a decent price, especially for an independent restaurant.
Of both the strawberries and cream sandwiches, if you can't already tell, my favourite was the Tokyo Nights sando. The three words that sum my reaction to it? Get me another.
